It had been widely anticipated throughout the league that Durant would earn the award for the first time in his career. The most likely scenario is a Monday or Tuesday news conference and a pregame ceremony Tuesday or Wednesday right before Game 1 of the second round of the Western Conference playoffs, provided that Durant’s Thunder win their Game 7 at home Saturday night against theMemphis Grizzlies.

If the voters are truly honest with themselves, this should be a landslide favoring Durant. He was basically the best player in the NBA from start to finish, and carried the Thunder while his wing man Russell Westbrook missed a ton of games this season.